The Air Force and the Great Engine War

Highly publicized accounts of abuse in military weapons procurement have raised both citizen awareness of and citizen concern with the properly monitoring of US defense dollars. Not long ago, media reports of spare parts overpricing and related problems ignited harsh public criticism of the handling of the multibillion dollar defense contracts for the F100 jet engine. According to Colonel Robert Drewes, US Air Force, though, the outcome of the subsequent "Great Engine War" calls not for criticism, but for praise for the Department of Defense. Long before the public became aware of the controversy, the Air Force was grappling with the problems of the F100 high performance engine and the contract for its procurement and maintenance. As difficulties mounted in negotiations with the sole-source supplier, the Air Force, Navy, and Congress held their ground and eventually prevailed. The account of their combined efforts is an encouraging story about the Department of Defense and the US Government "setting things right," a story that has not been fully told before. The case is not closed on jet engine contracting, or any other kind of defense contracting, but the Great Engine War is welcome reassurance that US defense dollars - closely monitored - will be spent wisely. This story focuses on the complex considerations and interactions which permeate every step in bringing a major weapon system from a mental image to the drawing board, to production, and on to operational use. Along the way the work is saturated with incessant concerns over congressional actions, inter-Service rivalry, interstaff squabbles, and contractor posturing as well as hard-core problems with the technology. The objective of this book is to demonstrate how individuals working in an environment of seemingly endless distractions and frustrations can still have a vision of what makes sense and persist in making the ideal a reality.